In order to improve operational efficiency, the Grimaldi Group has applied our silicone hull coatings to more than 30 vessels since 2011 – and has achieved significant reductions in fuel bills and associated CO2 emissions as a result.
A multinational logistics group specialising in cargo and passenger transport, the Grimaldi Group operates a fleet of over 100 vessels, including freighter-cruisers, roll-on/roll-off ferries, car carriers and passenger ferries. Grimaldi applied our Hempasil X3 hull coating to 16 vessels between 2011 and 2014, and was very pleased with the coating’s fuel-saving performance. So, when we launched an even more advanced hull coating solution in late 2014, Grimaldi was keen to take advantage.
Grimaldi applied Hempaguard X7 to nearly 20 vessels between 2014 and 2016 – including seven vessels in just one month – and our team of coating advisors worked closely with Grimaldi throughout every drydock to ensure a fast and efficient coating process.
A best-in-class technology, Hempaguard X7 delivers sustained fuel savings, even if the vessel experiences long idle periods or changes trading patterns. As a result, it reduces a vessel’s fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by an average 6 per cent over the entire docking interval, but in some cases, actual savings can be higher as Grimaldi discovered.
How do our silicone hull coatings work?
Fuel-saving hull coatings work by improving vessel hydrodynamics. When fouling organisms, such as barnacles and biological slime, attach to a vessel’s hull, the extra drag they create means more fuel is needed to move the ship. This significantly increases fuel consumption and associated CO2 emissions.
To combat fouling, Hempasil X3 uses a combination of hydrogel and silicone technology. The silicone gives the hull a smooth non-stick surface, while the hydrogel makes the vessel’s hull appear as liquid to fouling, so the organisms do not attach.
Our most advanced hull coating to date, Hempaguard X7 uses a combination of hydrogel-silicone and an efficient fouling preventing biocide to combat fouling. We are so confident in its performance, it is the only product of its kind to come with a Customer Satisfaction Guarantee.
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Source: Hempel
